Info on Podcast #78

Activists Ali Glenesk and Rae Abileah talk about the unauthorized Gaza Freedom March set for 12/31/09; Prof. Lawrence Davidson of West Chester University comments on US policy in the Middle East. Glenesk is a student at UC Berkeley who has been to Gaza twice, and Abileah is with Code Pink for Peace who has also been there. They return with an international group of more than 1,000 to challenge the Israeli blockade, participate in a peace march in Gaza on New Year's Eve, and remind the world of Israel's devastating attacks on Gaza last year at this time. More info at www.gazafreedommarch.org. Davidson was the top bidder in The Nation's online fundraising auction of a guest slot on the PBC Show, is an expert on Middle East history and the author of a number of books, including Foreign Policy, Inc: Privatizing America's National Interest. He offers some clear comments on Israel's outsized influence on US policy.